Interview: Caitlin Sheppard & J'Kobe Wallace Talk SESAME STREET LIVE! LET'S PARTY!

Join Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Abby Cadabby and more when Sesame Street Live! Let's Party! visits the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden from Saturday, February 19 through Sunday, February 27, 2022!

Parents and children alike will dance and sing along to their favorite songs with the Sesame Street gang and the show's live emcees 'Casey' and 'Caleb' as they help plan the Sesame Street community party. Featuring songs like "I Love Trash" and "C is for Cookie," Sesame Street Live! Let's Party! is interactive fun for everyone!

BroadwayWorld spoke with Caitlin Sheppard, who plays Abby Cadabby, and J'Kobe Wallace, who plays Caleb, about bringing joy and entertainment to families, Elmo's popularity on TikTok and much more!

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Can you both tell me about the characters you play in Sesame Street Live! Let's Party!?

J: I play one of two live hosts in the show, Caleb. So, it's Caleb and Casey, they're two cousins that are directors of the Sesame Street community center, and they're spending their whole time on stage trying to figure out what the theme of the community party should be. So, Caleb and Casey are the ones who are meeting Elmo and Abby and Big Bird, and all these fun, lovable creatures, and they're all helping decide what the theme should be throughout the show.

C: I portray the role of Abby Cadabby. She is a pink, three-year-old fairy, and she is best friends with Elmo. She is so much fun to portray in the show.

What can audiences expect to see with Sesame Street Live! Let's Party!?

J: You know, it's a great opportunity to introduce young children to their first theatrical experience. What I personally love about it is there are so many classic songs from the TV show, like 'Sunny Days' and 'C is for Cookie', but there are a lot of newer songs like 'Just Like Magic', and 'I Love Trash', all these wonderful things. I think what the audience, both young and old, will pick up from this is the wonderful hints to so many classic Sesame Street songs.

C: This is a highly interactive show for families and people of all ages. It's musically driven, it has a lot of songs that are on the television show that Sesame Workshop has created, and there is one original song called 'You Put the U in Community', and that is originally written for Sesame Street Live! Let's Party! In the show Casey and Caleb, the directors of the Sesame Street Community center, they go on a journey down Sesame Street to figure out what the theme of the community street party will be. And along the way they meet all of our favorite friends like Abby, and Elmo, Grover, Oscar, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster, of course. Just to hear the kids react to the monsters on stage, it's so much fun.

What are your favorite parts of performing in Sesame Street Live! Let's Party!?

J: My favorite part, honestly, is when the characters enter for the first time, it's so special to see the kids in the audience get so excited. Especially for Elmo's entrance, that's one of the loudest sounds I've ever heard in my life! It's a huge spectacle, so when Elmo enters everything stops, time stops because the audience just erupts. It's the same for Cookie Monster and Rosita. When our friends come on stage, everyone loses time and it just gets really exciting for a moment.

C: Not to give too much away, but Abby has a special little trick in act two that's really fun, and it's my favorite part. She does fly in the air, and it's so much fun to be above the stage, and to wave to people on the balcony. That's my favorite part of the show. It's also nice to hear the audience react to Big Bird and Cookie Monster, they're always so loud and it's so much fun to hear them scream and sing.

Are you both on TikTok, and what do you think about people's obsession with Elmo?

J: I sure am! At first I thought it was maybe just my phone playing tricks on me, because it was around the time that we were starting rehearsals for the show. I was like, "Man my phone knows I'm in rehearsals for the show!" But, no, it's really special to see the resurgence of all the fun things, and how funny Elmo's reactions can be sometimes.

C: I am on TikTok, I don't really make them, but I watch them and keep up with what's going on. It's so funny, when we started rehearsals, everyone was like "Elmo is really going viral right now! We're doing this show at a good time!"

How does it feel for you both knowing that you're bringing so much joy to families and children during this time?

J: It's super special. As somebody who grew up watching Sesame Street, it's special to impart this sense of community to others. I think now more than ever we need community, and that's the overarching theme of our entire show. So, I think it's special that I can look out to the audience of young kids that look like me that are learning like I was when I was their age. And if they walk out with even a fraction of the concepts that we're teaching, that's a job well done. For me personally I am very grateful that the community I see in the audience is being reflected on our stage as well.

C: It's really rewarding. It kind of takes you back to remembering and reminiscing on your first theater experience you had when you were a child. It's really so much fun.

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